Zero Seconds To Go
by ToKeepFromGoingUnder
Summary: Tragedy strikes at the office when Cal, Loker, Ria, Gillian, and Emily are supposedly taken. But it's not until Cal returns that things fall apart. The name is insinuating that there isn't time to waste. People are in danger.
1. Chapter 1

**Cal frowned and looked around. "Wait... me...?" he asked, his hand still tight around Emily's.**

**Emily looked at Cal and her mouth opened. "No, don't take him," she whispered.**

**"Yes. Dr. Lightman. They chose you."**

**"They _chose _me? What the hell does that mean?"**

**"They get one person back... they want you back," Trace said.**

**"Me?" Cal asked again.**

**"Yes..."**

**Emily let go of Cal's hand and whispered, "Dad, if you don't go... who knows what will happen."**

**"I'm not leaving my daughter here with you bastards."**

**Trace walked over, holding a black sack. "I'm going to put this over your head and we're going to leave."**

**"No!"**

**"Or I'll shoot the girl."**

**Cal shut up and sighed heavily. "Dammit."**

**Emily looked over to Gillian with a terrified look.**

**Once Trace was gone, Gillian scooted over and took's the place of Cal's hand. "It's fine... we're going to be just fine."**

**"You don't know that!" Emily whispered.**

**.:.**

**Cal was pushed out of the van in the parking lot to the office. He walked in and found Ben standing there, waiting for him. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Cal asked angrily.**

**"I'm sorry?"**

**"Why didn't you bring Emily home! It's too freakin' dangerous for her!"**

**Ben frowned and said, "Because we need _you _on the other side. It's dangerous for us to lose you."**

**"We need Emily back, ASAP."**

**"I'm sorry... I didn't even think..."**

**"I can't believe you. My daughter's sitting there scared out of her... What the hell is that?" Cal asked, pointing to a screen.**

**"That's them... we have had eyes on you the whole time."**

**"And you haven't been able to find us?" Cal yelled.**

**"No! We haven't! Trace set it up... he wants us to know what's going on or something like that."**

**Cal sat down in front of the screen and stared at Emily and Gillian talking. "Is there sound?"**

**"Yeah." Ben pressed a button and Gillian's voice became clear.**

_**"It's alright... He's back with Ben trying to figure things out... Don't worry."**_

**Cal took a deep breath and shook his head. "Dammit... this is so crazy."**

**"Tell us what happened."**

**He looked up at Ben and asked, "Huh?"**

**"What do you remember last?"**

**"Um... the gas."**

**"The gas?"**

**"We were all hanging out in the office. Loker and Ria in the lab... Gillian was doing some shit that bores me... and I think Emily was getting food when..."**

_**She walked into Cal's office with a frown. "Dr. Lightman... I need to show you something."**_

_**Cal stood up and followed her into the hallway. "What the hell?" He stared up at the vents where a green looking gas was seeping through the metal. "We need to get out. Go outside... I'll get everyone else out."**_

_**Ana nodded and quickly hurried outside.**_

**_The green smoke made it further down, causing Cal to cough. He pulled his shirt up over his mouth and ran to the lab. "Where are Loker and Torres?" he asked._**

**_Most of them turned and shrugged. _**

**_"Ok, get out of the office. There's a gas leak or something and we're all evacuating. Go stand down by my car... right now!"_**

**_People got a little confused, but eventually the lab was clear._**

**_He coughed loudly as he went on to the next room. "Gillian! Get out!" he yelled._**

**_She looked up from her computer and saw the smoke piling in through her door._**

**_"Oh my gosh! What is that?"_**

**_"I don't know, but I don't think it's safe and we need to get out!"_**

**_"Who else is inside." She pulled him into the office and shut the door._**

**_"I dunno... Loker, Em, Ria... a couple other people."_**

**_"Alright... um... let's go get them."_**

**_"No, I can get them. You need to get outside before it hurts you."_**

**_She quickly smiled and then pulled the door open._**

**_The smoke was coming faster and thicker. It stung in his eyes._**

**_He pulled his shirt back to his mouth and squinted, watching Gillian run to the door._**

**_He turned to run to the kitchen, but heard a thump._**

**_Gillian had collapsed right outside of the door._**

**_He ran over and skidded to a stop beside her. "Gillian?" He kneeled down and held her head. "Gill!"_**

**_He had dropped the shirt to grab her and was beginning to feel woozy._**

**_Gillian looked like two Gillian's and his own voice sounded lower and further away._**

**_He coughed a couple more times and then fell to the floor, soon passing out._**

**"That's what I remember... Seeing Gillian collapse and then I started to feel woozy and passed out too."**

**"Well..." Ben said. "We have footage if you'd like to see what happened."**

**"Definitely." Cal watched Ben's hands as he found the video.**

A/N: Have I managed to confuse you? Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

_**People in black suits with gas masks soon slipped into the office.**_

_**"Get Lightman, Foster, Torres, and Loker! You know what they look like... bring any other people to me and I'll say yes or no."**_

_**Several people mumbled something and ran off to different places.**_

_**"I have Lightman and Foster right here," the main guy - Trace - announced.**_

_**He laid his two fingers on Cal's neck and then on Gillian's. "They're knocked out... heart's beating slow. We have two hours at most."**_

_**Two men came forward and lifted Gillian up off the ground.**_

_**"Careful," Trace said. "Don't drop her or anything."**_

_**"We have the pretty girl and tall guy here."**_

_**Trace stared down at Loker and Ria and nodded. "Yup... bring 'em out to the truck. Be careful with the girl."**_

_**"We got... a kid... two men and another woman."**_

_**Trace stared at the kid - Emily - examining her face. "This one's Lightman's... bring her along. Leave the rest. Let's go."**_

**Cal stared at the screen for another minute, expecting something to happen.**

**"That's all," Ben said.**

**.:.**

**"This is so much scarier without him..." Emily whispered, squeezing her legs closer to her chest.**

**Gillian put her arm around Emily's shoulders. "It's alright... don't worry..."**

**"Where is he? Did they bring him back to the office... or home...?" **

**"He's safe. I'm sure of it," Gillian assured her.**

**.:.**

**Cal stared at Gillian admiringly. "Look at her," he whispered to Ben. "She's amazing."**

**Ben chuckled and said, "We didn't get a view on you until you were all in the same room... What happened when you woke up?"**

**"I was alone," Cal mumbled.**

**"What do you mean 'alone'... Loker, Ria, Emily, and Gillian were all there."**

**"Not with me, though. I was in my own seperate room, but we could communicate."**

**"Explain."**

_**Cal woke up on the cold, hard floor with a killer headache.**_

_**He moaned painfully and sat up, leaning against the brick wall. "Hello?" he called out. His gravely voice carried out and echoed against the walls.**_

_**He stood up slowly and leaned against the wall again for support. "Hello?" **_

_**.:.**_

_**Emily's eyes fluttered open. It was dark. She couldn't even see her own hand waving in front of her face. **_

_**She heard the echo of a 'hello' from somewhere far away. **_

_**"Dad?" she called out. "Dad!"**_

_**There wasn't a response. She stuck her arms out, feeling for the size of the room.**_

_**.:.**_

_**Loker coughed. "What the hell...?" he asked himself, finding a wall. "Hello?" he asked. He also had a pounding headache that made it hard for him to move.**_

_**He stood up and stumbled back until he fell onto a wall. "Hello?" he asked again. **_

_**The wall was cold and wet. "Lightman...? Dr. Foster!" **_

_**.:.**_

_**Gillian woke up, feeling dizzy and out of it. **_

_**She could hear fading echoes of someone speaking, but wasn't really sure what they were saying. **_

_**"Cal...?" she asked, listening closely for a reply.**_

_**.:.**_

_**Ria had awoken not too long ago.**_

_**She was lining the wall, waiting for an end so she could estimate the size of the cold room.**_

_**She heard people yelling, but couldn't exactly make out what they were saying.**_

_**.:.**_

_**Suddenly, in all five rooms, lights flashed on.**_

_**Eli and Cal were both blinded and fell back to the floor, grabbing their heads in pain.**_

_**"You're all awake," a voice boomed.**_

_**"What the hell is this?" Gillian yelled.**_

_**Everyone could hear her now.**_

_**"Gillian?" Emily asked, looking around the room. **_

_**It was a large room. But it was empty apart from Emily and a blanket that she hadn't noticed on the far wall.**_

_**"Emily?" Ria asked. "Yell out your name if you're hear!"**_

_**"Gill!" Gillian said.**_

**_"Emily."_**

**_"Ria."_**

**_Two moans came from the boys._**

**_"Lightman and Loker... shouldn't you two yell out your names?" the voice asked._**

**_"Cal..." he said, squeezing his eyes shut._**

**_It was very quiet, but everyone was listening closely, so it could be heard._**

**_"Eli?" Ria asked._**

**_"Yeah..." he mumbled, holding his head._**

**_"What's wrong?" Gillian asked._**

**_"Dad, where are you?"_**

**_"Calm down," the voice ordered. "The gas effects males much more different than it does females. It gives them a painful headache and weakens their muscles, which holds them back from being able to attack or do something else violent. They'll be fine."_**

**_"Dad!"_**

**_"What...?" Eli asked. A couple minutes before it was just the headache._**

**_"When the lights came on... Eli and Cal both fell straight to the ground in pain. That's because the light sent a message to your brain, which was already confused and in pain, and it sent waves of shock through your muscles, causing them to shut down, or not work nearly as well. It will last at least a day. If you get out of control... we will simply use the gas again."_**

**_Cal frowned and rolled over, staring up at the roof. "Why is it wet...?" he asked._**

**_Gillian could hear the pain in his voice better than anyone. "Cal, are you okay?"_**

**_"I'm fine, love... Why is it wet?' he asked again._**

**_"I don't know. Condensation."_**

**_"Why are we here?" Cal asked._**

**_"First... Let me introduce myself. My name is Trace."_**

**_"Who the hell are you? Should we know you?"_**

**_"The more you talk, the more engery you're taking from your weak muscles," Trace said bluntly._**

**_Cal rolled his eyes and shut his mouth._**

**_Gillian looked around her empty room. She walked over and picked up the blanket. "So... why do you have us?"_**

**_"Well... It's quite simple."_**

**_Trace began pacing, holding the microphone to his mouth._**

**_"Where is everyone?" Emily asked._**

**_Trace sighed and said, "You are all actually right beside eachother... First is Gillian. Then Cal. Then Emily. Then Ria. Then Loker. If you look along your walls, there are little vents. You can talk through those vents."_**

**_"Why aren't we all together?"_**

**_"Because you can interact more when you see eachother. This way... you can talk... but I can hear what you are saying."_**

**_Cal looked around the walls and spotted the vent. _**

**_"Gill!" he coughed. "Go to the vent!"_**

**_"Which side are you on?" she asked._**

**_"The only side there is...You're the first perr..." He got really dizzy again and started seeing things in double. "No..." he whispered. _**

**_The vent was close, so Cal crawled over and leaned against the wall. "Gill," he whispered._**

**_"Cal, are you okay?" she asked, finding the right vent._**

**_"I'm losing it..."_**

**_"What do you mean?"_**

**_"I mean... I'm getting dizzy... everything hurts."_**

**"Did he ever tell you why he took you?" Ben asked.**

**"Nah..." Cal whispered, shaking his head.**

**"Oh... well he told us."**

**"Let's hear it," Cal said.**

A/N: Soooooo...? Review? Smile? Eat some mac and cheese?


	3. Chapter 3

**Ben sat down beside Cal and began. "He did it because he wanted to mess with someone... He wants to know what will happen."**

**"I'm sorry... what?"**

**"He's practicing."**

**"For what?" Cal asked.**

**"He wants to know if you can all make it out alive... He wants to-"**

**"Wait. If we can all make it out alive?" Cal asked, sickened.**

**Ben nodded. "Congrats. You made it out."**

**"Why would people die? What... what would kill them?"**

**"I don't... he hasn't gotten into it that much," Ben whispered.**

**"This guy is a psycho!" Cal yelled.**

**"Yeah, we figured that. Cal... We need Gillian next."**

**"_No. _We need Emily next. She's the little girl, Ben! You shouldn't even be thinking about this!"**

**Reynolds nodded and said, "Gillian is the psychologist... She would know what to do."**

**"I don't care. Gillian will make it out. Emily first."**

**Ben sighed. "Ok... so what happened next?"**

_**Cal soon passed out again for talking to much. He wasted all his energy and when he didn't reply to Gillian's calls, she freaked out, causing Emily to get scared as well.**_

_**Loker leaned against the wall beside the vent, talking to Ria. "It's alright..." he whispered.**_

**_"Are you okay? You sound really... out of it," she whispered. _**

**_"Well, I totally am." He chuckled and patted the wet ground. "We'll be fine."_**

**_"I'll be right back," Ria said. "I'm gonna go see how Emily's doing."_**

**_"Oki dokes..." Loker slurred._**

**_"Emily...?" Ria asked, having crawled to the other side of the room._**

**_Emily sighed and went over to the other vent. "Ria?" she asked._**

**_"Yeah, it's me. Are you doing alright?"_**

**_"I'm fine... It's just that dad's out... and I'm just worried."_**

**_"Oh, yeah, I hear ya. Well, I guess we all knew his large mouth would get him knocked out someday."_**

**_Emily laughed and agreed. "What's that?"_**

**_Ria looked around the room and spotted the green gas again. "That's what came into the office. Don't worry Emily. It's going to make us pass out. It'll be fine."_**

**"Wait," Ben stopped. "How do you know all this?"**

**"They told me what I missed while I was out..." Cal said, nodding.**

**"Oh... Continue."**

_**They woke up some amount of time later altogether in one large room.**_

_**Cal was the last to wake up. He moaned and rolled over onto one of his arms and then fell over. "Dammit..." he mumbled.**_

_**Gillian had been lazily sitting beside him with Emily on the other side. "Cal...?" she asked, laying her hand on his shoulder.**_

_**"Dad... oh, thank God you're awake dad..." Emily whispered.**_

_**He opened his eyes and smiled at Emily. "Oh, hey Em..." he slurred.**_

_**"Are you alright?"**_

**_"Killer headache... those lights are... really... bright..." He was dizzy and sounded like he was drunk._**

**_Gillian leaned back against the wall and patted Cal's leg. "I wouldn't sit up... It'll make the headache worse."_**

**_"How are you, Gill?" he asked, the curiousity strong than usual in his voice._**

**_"I'm fine... yourself?'_**

**_"Killer headache... those lights are... really... bright..."_**

**_Gillian frowned. "You just said that, Cal..."_**

**_"Did I? That's weird..." he mumbled with a loopy chuckle._**

**_Gillian stared at him and said, "Just go... back to sleep."_**

**_"Well, I would, but the... um..." His eyelids soon became heavy and it wasn't long before he was lightly snoring._**

**_They hadn't heard from Trace in what seemed like a couple hours._**

**_Cal slept for what they thought was a couple hours. No one had a watch._**

**_"Loker's been out for a while... how about him?" Ria asked._**

**_"Same," Gillian shrugged. "Man.. this whole sedating the males or whatever is pretty awesome. We could use a milder version of this at the office."_**

**_Ria and Emily both smiled and Ria sat down. "So... what do you think we are going to do...?"_**

**_"I have no clue. Do you think he's planning to hurt us?"_**

**_"I hope not..." Emily whispered._**

**Cal stopped talking and looked at the screen. **

**A man with a black mask walked in with a bulge in his pocket.**

**"What does he have?" he asked.**

**Ben looked at the screen as well and frowned. "What's going on...?"**

**"Which one is Lightman's daughter?" he asked.**

**"What's he doing?" Cal asked hurriedly.**

**"Sh!" Ben hissed.**

**Everyone in the room looked around and Emily looked up.**

**"You?" he asked.**

**She wasn't sure if she should say yes or no.**

**He grabbed Emily by the hair and she yelped. "Shut up!" he yelled at her.**

**She skidded across the floor as he dragged her towards the door.**

**"Hey!" Gillian yelled.**

**He stopped and Emily hung from his hands. She grabbed his hand and tried to stand up to take the pressure from his head. "What?"**

**"What are you doing with her?"**

**"Damn straight. Go Gillian!" Cal said with a nod, watching intensely.**

**Ben looked at him, annoyed.**

**"Does it matter?"**

**"Yes, of course it matter," Gillian said.**

**"Just go sit back down."**

**"No! What are you doing with her?"**

**He dropped Emily and walked over to Gillian.**

**"Oh, God!" Cal said with a look of dismay. "Don't hurt her..." he whispered.**

**He grabbed Gillian's shirt and shoved her against the wall. "It doens't matter."**

**Gillian had a look of pain and she nodded. "Just... don't hurt her."**

**He let go of Gillian and she slipped to the floor. "C'mon," he barked to Emily.**

A/N: Sooo?


End file.
